Westwood's recycling contamination rate drops to 7.9%

The Westwood Department of Public Works announced that an audit found the town's curbside recycling contamination rate at 7.9%, below the 10% threshold set by the town's recycling processing facility.

The audit began Oct. 5 and lasted several weeks. During that time, the recycling processing facility collected samples from inbound recycling loads and hand-sorted them to determine what percentage contained items that do not belong in the recycling stream.

The 7.9% rate marks a drop from 17.6% in 2023. Director of Public Works Todd Korchin called it "an outstanding achievement and something that the entire Town should be proud of."

The town attributed the improvement to residents' efforts along with outreach, education and recycling awareness work done since the previous audit, and it credited the Westwood Environmental Action Committee for its work against recycling contamination.

The audit also identified a specific contamination source: using brown recyclable bags to collect other recyclables and placing the full bag in a barrel. Even when the bag contains accepted materials, it becomes too heavy for sorting machines once compacted. The town is asking residents to empty recyclables directly into their barrels and place the loose bag in separately, saying this step could help lower the contamination rate further.

Korchin encouraged residents to keep up the progress. "Every conversation, outreach campaign, inspection, and educational effort helps move the needle in the right direction," he said. "Let's celebrate this accomplishment, but don't stop here. Keep the momentum going and continue building on this success."

Source: Town of Westwood announcement, October 31, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.